We get a lot of calls from people wanting to rehome their cats – especially in these economic times. People are having to move and, realistically, most rentals do not allow pets. Or, it just isn’t convenient to take their pet where they are going. It gets wearing to have to explain to people that our space is limited and it may be quite awhile until any shelter – not just FieldHaven – has space for their “really wonderful cat”. Of course, many people wait until the last minute and they have to find a home “by this weekend” or some other unreasonable time frame.
But we do also get calls from people who are truly trying to do the best by their pets. These are the people who are looking for alternatives to giving up their pets – or if it is absolutely not an option to keep them, they are keeping the pet’s best interest in mind when searching for a new home.
Yesterday, I got a call from a young woman who really is trying to do the best by her cats.
She, along with her husband, 2 year old toddler and 2 cats have found themselves living in a very small apartment. She made the difficult decision to rehome her cats, thinking it was best for them because of the very close quarters. After many phone calls to rescues and shelters she found a rescue within a reasonable distance who said they would take the cats even though they are “full”.
In spite of feeling greatly relieved to have found someplace for the cats, she didn’t feel quite comfortable with the arrangement so she started calling other rescues and shelters around the greater Sacramento area. Was anyone familiar with this rescue and would it be a good place for her cats? I give her full credit for being a responsible, caring pet owner and making sure the place she was taking her cats would be a good one.
I had never heard of the rescue she mentioned and a quick google search turned up nothing. Several things she said raised red flags but the show stopper for me was the fact that the woman who ran the organization would not let her come see where the cats would be. Something about animal control was on her case and she didn’t want them to know where she was! The whole thing smelled – and probably quite literally if my caller had been able to go the rescuer’s place – of hoarding.
I gave my caller some advice for her kitties. One being that, even though things are tight where they’re living and maybe it’s a pain to keep everything orderly with 2 cats and a toddler underfoot, these kitties are much better off staying with her than going to any shelter – even a cage-free one like FieldHaven. She admitted she was feeling guilty about the cats not having a lot of space to roam. I pointed out that it was a lot more space than a 2-foot by 2-foot cage in a shelter. And, yes, litter pan cleaning in a small apartment is tough but diligently cleaning a couple of times a day will keep that under control.
At the end of our conversation I really think my caller is going to make an effort to keep her cats – she seemed to really care for them. After all, she had made a great effort in trying to validate the rescue who had agreed to take them. I gave her great credit for that – we wish every caller cared so much.
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